Hitting the streets to protest the Enforcement Directorate’s raids of the I-PAC office and its founder’s home, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday (January 9, 2026) justified her decision to intervene during the raids by saying that attempts were being made to steal her party’s internal strategy.
Also read: TMC protest in Kolkata highlights
“What I did yesterday (Thursday), I did as the Trinamool chairman. What I did, I did not do anything wrong. You have come to kill me! I have the right to defend myself. If my party doesn’t exist, how will I fight for the people?” Ms. Banerjee said, addressing a gathering after the protest march, in which she was joined by the rank and file of the party as well as stars from the Bengali cine and television industry.
Mamata Banerjee took away key evidence during raids in coal ‘scam’ case against I-PAC official: ED
This came a day after the Chief Minister entered the residence of I-PAC founder Pratik Jain at Loudon Street and then the I-PAC office in Salt Lake while the ED raids were going on. The Central agency claimed that Ms. Banerjee and her aides “forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidences”. I-PAC has provided political consultancy to the Trinamool Congress since 2021.
